KIRKUS REVIEW

After the events of A Court of
Thorns and Roses (2015), Feyre struggles to pull herself back together
while imminent threats loom.

In the months after defeating
Amarantha and escaping hellish captivity Under the Mountain, Feyre hasn’t been
doing well. She’s drowning in guilt over the prices she paid and unable to
escape the feeling that she’s trapped. Tamlin is perhaps coping even worse—he’s
consumed by the fear of failing to protect her and in denial. While their
physical relationship is mutually pleasurable—and graphically hot—their
happily-ever-after fairy-tale wedding is further derailed by Rhysand, the High
Lord of the dreaded Night Court, who demands that Feyre fulfill their bargain by
coming with him (one week a month). Rhys believes war is coming, and he needs
Feyre for his dangerous scheme to win it. As Feyre travels between courts and
explores the consequences of her resurrection, she learns more about Prythian, its
history, and peoples (including its darkest sides: misogynistic cultures and
tensions between High Fae and lesser faeries). Occasionally the characters fall
too neatly into wholly good or completely bad boxes, which at its least subtle
comes across as manipulative of readers, but the large cast provides relief
from Feyre’s deep psychological wounds. The erotically charged lead-up to the
romantic storyline’s climaxes (pun intended) adds stakes to the cliffhanger.

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